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Accounting & invoicing for Construction and trades
Last updated Oct 9, 2026
These lists use the scores we gave for Construction and trades, not the all-buyers scores. Zoho Books is #1 here, #2 for all buyers; Wave is #2 here, #3 for all buyers; ZipBooks is #3 here, #1 for all buyers.
Accounting software
Our top picks
- Top scoreLowest price
#1 Zoho Books
Small businesses that want three users and receipt scanning on a $15 plan
8.7/10Very goodOur scoreVisit Zoho BooksOn zoho.com - Lowest price
#2 Wave
Sole traders who want free invoicing and reports with nothing to pay
7.6/10GoodOur scoreVisit WaveOn waveapps.com - Lowest price
#3 ZipBooks
Freelancers who bill tracked time by project on a $15 plan, with a free plan for invoicing
7.5/10GoodOur scoreVisit ZipBooksOn zipbooks.com
- Top scoreLowest priceRank 1
Zoho Books
Small businesses that want three users and receipt scanning on a $15 plan
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Leaving: No contract ('pay-as-you-go ... you may cancel your subscription'); after cancelling the data stays in read-only mode and can be exported before cancelling; accounts inactive more than 120 days are permanently deleted. No cancellation fee is mentioned..
- A free plan.
8.7/10Very goodOur score - Lowest priceRank 2
Wave
Sole traders who want free invoicing and reports with nothing to pay
- Entry plan (Starter) $0.00 a month at the regular price.
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Leaving: Starter is free with nothing to cancel. Pro: cancel any time, effective at the end of the paid period, then the business returns to the free Starter plan; account data can be downloaded (Business settings > Data Export)..
7.6/10GoodOur score - Lowest priceRank 3
ZipBooks
Freelancers who bill tracked time by project on a $15 plan, with a free plan for invoicing
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Leaving: Cancel the paid plan any time under Account > Subscription ('Cancel Accounting Plan'); the account reverts to the free Starter plan with all records kept. No cancellation fee is stated. Deleting the account is by email request and not reversible..
- A free plan.
7.5/10GoodOur score - Rank 4
Xero
Businesses that send a few invoices a month and want unlimited users
- Unlimited users on the entry plan.
6.2/10FairOur score - Rank 5
Kashoo
Businesses that want unlimited users and income and costs tracked by project on one plan
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
- Unlimited users on the entry plan.
6.1/10FairOur score Service firms that want proposals, time tracking and invoicing in one tool, priced per user
- No introductory discount: the price shown is the regular price.
5.8/10PoorOur score- Lowest price
Businesses that want all five basics we check, receipt capture included, on the entry plan
- Leaving: Cancel any time (pricing FAQ: 'you're free to switch QuickBooks Online plans or cancel at any time'; 'No annual contract / Cancel anytime'); after cancelling a paid subscription you keep read-only access for one year and can export to Excel or QuickBooks Desktop for up to a year. No cancellation fee is mentioned..
- A free plan.
5.8/10PoorOur score - Rank 8
FreshBooks
Freelancers who bill by time and by project and track mileage
- Leaving: Cancel any time; the account stays active and accessible until the end of the billing cycle, then the data is kept and the account can be reactivated. No cancellation fee is mentioned. Same article: accounts inactive 30 days or more may be deactivated and deleted (email notice first)..
5.7/10PoorOur score